


Horror movies and unrequited crushes (that aren't so unrequited)

by shipsandglitter



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Andi is a cinnamon roll, Buffy is a good friend, Confessions, Cuddling, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Let Cyrus swear 2k18, M/M, Marty and Buffy try to get these fools together, Marty is so done with these two, Mutual Pining, Oblivious!Cyrus and Oblivious!TJ, SO MUCH FLUFF, TJ is a protective bf, TJ's teammates ship it, horror movies, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-21 20:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16584029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsandglitter/pseuds/shipsandglitter
Summary: "He couldn’t help it - his heart would race when TJ gave him one of his private smiles, he’d blush madly whenever TJ placed a friendly hand on his shoulder or casually wrapped an arm around him. It sucked."~Or the one where Cyrus is completely oblivious to TJ's feelings for him and his friends are 100% done. Drama ensues.





	Horror movies and unrequited crushes (that aren't so unrequited)

**Author's Note:**

> My first Andi Mack fic! As a quick heads-up, there will be a few short texting conversations in this.
> 
> I'm hoping to write for Ambi at some point, because after watching 3x05 I'm feeling very inspired. (They're such soft gfs? my god.)

“Fuck!” 

Buffy turned to him, her eyes widened in alarm. Marty also turned around, but he seemed to be amused more than anything.

“Cyrus...did you just swear...and hit that locker?” Buffy asked, taking a hesitant step towards him.

He immediately grimaced and backed away.

“Sorry locker. You didn’t deserve that.”

Marty snorted, which earnt him a glare from Buffy.

“Okay. What’s going on, Cyrus? I’ve never seen you  _that_ frustrated.”

“Absolutely nothing!” 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I guess it’s fine if you can’t tell me now. Do you wanna talk later?”

“Oh, that’s really not necessary, I’m just... testing out swearing y’know?” 

Marty scoffed and stepped forward to stand next to Buffy.

“No offence dude, but I know that wasn’t normal for you and I barely know you.”

In response to Cyrus’s offended look, he added “Not that well, anyway! I mean, we’re cool obviously-“

“Okay, thanks Marty. Cyrus - I can’t hang out after school but I’ll message you, okay? Try not to swear and hit another locker.”

“Who’s swearing and hitting lockers?”

 _Oh great_. 

Cyrus turned around to find TJ standing there, a warm smile on his lips.  _Oh god - who gave him the right to have such a cute smile? He couldn’t be around TJ right now or he’d do something completely stupid._  

“Oh! Uh - hey TJ.”

He was trying for nonchalance, but his voice sounded strained even to him. TJ picked it up instantly.

“...Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all! I just really need to talk to my english teacher so he can give my essay back to me, like now.”

Marty was snickering at the bewildered look on Buffy’s face.

“Essay? what essa-“ Cyrus shot her a pointed look. “Ohh, that one! Right.”

TJ turned his gaze from Cyrus to Buffy, his eyebrows furrowed. “Am I missing something?”

“No!” Cyrus insisted, cursing himself internally for being so obvious. He was already feeling bad enough about himself, and now he was obviously hurting TJ’s feelings in a selfish attempt to try and avoid him.  _Dammit._

“Okay...I could walk you to your teacher’s office if you want?”

“No! Uh - I mean, it’s okay. I’m sure you’re busy and-“

He regretted the words instantly when he noticed TJ’s face fall. The boy could admittedly be slightly intimidating sometimes, but he looked like a sad puppy right now and Cyrus practically wanted to scream.  _Dammit - why was he acting like such a douche right now? This wasn’t him._  

TJ bit his lip and nodded. “Right. You don’t want me to.”

A confused expression had replaced Marty’s amused one. Buffy watched with slight exasperation as her bestfriend dug himself deeper into a hole. Quickly, she wracked her brain to think of a solution.

“Um, TJ, what Cyrus was going to say is that I wanted to go through some ideas with you about how to...improve my team’s performance now, which is why...you can’t walk him there.”

Buffy normally prided herself on her quick-thinking, but even she knew that excuse was kind of pathetic. She grimaced as soon as the words had left her mouth. 

“Ah, okay - so I  _am_  missing something. And I’m guessing it has to do with Cyrus not wanting to be around me. Cool.” 

TJ turned around and began to walk away. Cyrus felt tears pricking at his eyes as he tried to reach for his arm, but he quickly stopped himself with a deflated sigh and watched as the other boy left, looking dejectedly down at the ground.

“Shit,” he whispered, even more furious at himself than he had been before. He could feel tears threatening to spill over, so he blindly shoved his books into his locker and ran in the opposite direction, leaving a worried Buffy and a bewildered Marty standing there.

“...What just happened?”

“I have no idea.”

 

~

 

Cyrus had struggled his way through last period without letting any tears fall, although there were a few close calls. Relief flooded his system when the bell rang, and he all but sprinted out of there to get to his usual ‘I-feel-awful-about-myself-spot.’ 

He dropped his bag without a second thought and sat down on the swing, sighing heavily. 

He  _always_ managed to ruin everything, without fail. Just once, he’d really like to not screw everything up.

He knew he was in deep - he knew he liked TJ a whole lot more than you should like a friend. He also knew that his frustrated outburst had been the result of thinking about how his crush had so quickly moved from Jonah to TJ - another straight athelete who would never feel the same way about him.

He had never been outright rude to TJ before, he couldn’t find it within himself even if he wanted to, but somehow today had been different.

Recently, he had been letting his own stupid feelings get in the way of his friendship with TJ. He knew they’d come back to make his life hell but he didn’t realise just how  _hard_ it would be to act friendly with the other boy when he was practically aching for more. He had never felt something to this extent with Jonah, and the thought scared him.

He couldn’t help it - his heart would race when TJ gave him one of those private smiles, he’d blush madly whenever TJ placed a friendly hand on his shoulder or casually wrapped an arm around him. It sucked. 

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Cyrus looked up in alarm to find TJ standing infront him, bashfully looking at the ground. He immediately gasped and got up from the swing, an apology on his lips.

“It’s fine, Cyrus. I get it.” 

The other boy gave him a blank look. 

“You...uh...you do?”

“Yeah. I’m not much fun to be around, and honestly, I’d stop hanging out with me if I were you too.”

Cyrus’ mouth dropped open. “What! No, that’s not true at all! I love hanging out with you, Teej.”

The other boy gave him a sceptical look, but his face softened slightly.

“Honestly, I do. About before - I had a lot of stuff on my mind and I just...wanted to get away for a little bit and - god I’m so sorry for making you think that. I really don’t. You’re amazing.”

TJ’s cheeks were tinged red as he slowly nodded and sat down on the free swing. Cyrus let out a small sigh of relief.

“What did you have on your mind?” he asked.

“I’m not sure if you would wanna know.”

“Try me.”

TJ raised an eyebrow at him as he pushed off the ground slightly. Feeling panic beginning to claw at his insides, Cyrus let out a nervous laugh.

“I  _really_ don’t think you’d wanna know.”

“Well, I won’t pressure you Underdog, but I’m here if you wanna talk.”

Cyrus smiled nervously and bit his lip. After a few moments, the silence was already making him feel uncomfortable.

“I’m gay,” he blurted. 

He squeezed his eyes shut when he fully realised what he had said, sighing heavily when he heard the creaking of the swing next to him abruptly stop. He heard footsteps approaching him.

“Underdog...were you scared that I would react badly to that?” 

He opened his eyes to find TJ kneeling infront of him, a soft smile on his lips. He placed his hands on Cyrus’s knees.

“Um...I’m not sure,” he admitted quietly.

“Well, I would be an awful person if I did. There’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever- and...if it helps, I’m gay too.”

“Wait -  _what?”_

TJ’s smile widened slightly. “I’m gay too.”

“Whoa. So my ears  _weren’t_ deceiving me.” 

Cyrus knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up in the slightest, but damn - he was finding that a bit hard at the moment. _TJ was gay. Like actually gay. He liked boys._

“Do I not seem the type?” He asked teasingly.

“Well...no. Not with whole tough basketball player thing you got going on.”

“Wow, okay. Stereotypes!”

Cyrus couldn’t help but laugh. “I know! I’m sorry!” 

TJ’s eyes were sparkling as he stood up and held out a hand for Cyrus to take. 

“Let’s go get ice-cream. I’ll pay.”

“I knew there was a reason we’re friends.”

TJ gasped. “I knew it all along. You’re using me!”

Cyrus giggled at that. “What else do you think I stay for?” 

“Gee, I don’t know. My charming good looks?” 

“Maybe that too.”

 _Oh god - he sounded flirty. But so did TJ. What on earth was going on?_  

TJ laughed and quickly averted his gaze, a light blush colouring his cheeks. Cyrus bit his lip to fight back a wide grin.

 

~

 

The next day, Marty watched in amusement as TJ sat down next to Cyrus and wrapped an arm around him, beaming.

“Well that was fast,” He remarked.

Buffy snorted and rolled her eyes. “It always is. I can’t believe I doubted the power of their huge, obvious crushes on eachother.” 

“I’ll say - I’m getting real ‘get away from my boyfriend’ vibes from TJ right now.”

“And  _I’m_ getting real ‘Please never let go of me’ vibes from Cyrus right now.”

Marty laughed at that.

“My god. It’s so obvious. There’s no  _way_ that Cyrus thinks TJ doesn’t like him!”

Buffy lightly smacked his arm. “Be quiet - they might hear you. Anyway, let’s go over there and interrupt the love-fest.”

“Wow. You really wanna interrupt Cyrus’ time with his boyfriend?”

“You really wanna stop  _me_ from spending time with  _my_ bestfriend? They’re not even dating!”

Marty grinned. “ _Yet_.”

“Oh, whatever. Let’s go.”

They walked across the cafeteria and stopped at their usual table, trying hard to conceal their knowing smirks. Marty sat down casually and smiled at the pair. 

“Hey guys. Whatcha talking ‘bout?”

Buffy rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. A flush appeared on TJ’s face as he tried to subtly remove his arm from Cyrus’ shoulders. The other boy pouted slightly at the loss before turning to Marty.

“Oh, um, you know. The weather, current events-“

TJ snorted. “We were talking about horror movies.”

“And how I’m  _not_ terrified of them,” Cyrus quickly added. 

Marty raised an eyebrow at them, watching as TJ looked over at the other boy with a soft, fond smile. His feelings towards Cyrus were so completely obvious that Marty couldn’t help but scoff. Buffy rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs.

“Ow! Uncalled for!”

She just shot him a smirk and turned to Cyrus.

“I think we all know that you’re very much terrified of horror movies.”

TJ chuckled slightly. “Which is why I’m trying to convince him to watch one with me! So he can conquer his fear.”

“I’m not terrified of horror movies!” Cyrus protested.

TJ looked at him with a smirk. “Then surely you wouldn’t mind watching one with me?” 

Cyrus blushed and averted his gaze.

“Okay, I’ll watch one with you. But don’t say I didn’t warn you if I start clinging onto you for dear life...not because I’m scared or horror movies of course.”

Buffy exchanged a knowing look with Marty. TJ just chuckled again.

“Right - not because you’re scared of horror movies. Don’t worry underdog, I’ll protect you from the TV.” 

“My hero.” Cyrus sighed dramatically.

Marty snorted at that. 

Soon, Andi and Jonah were joining them at the table. The tension between them was obvious, and Cyrus briefly found himself wondering what on  _earth_ had happened this time. Andi sat next to Buffy, while Jonah sat next to Cyrus. 

“Hey Cy-guy.”

“Hey! What’s up?”

“Not much.” Jonah sighed, glancing over at Andi. Cyrus smiled sympathetically.

“Well...just so you know, I’ll definitely be at your ultimate game this afternoon. I’ll bring snacks and sunscreen and everything you guys could possibly need.”

“Cyrus Goodman, you’re a lifesaver. The whole team has been psyched out since our last game and you’re exactly the sort of support we need right now.”

Cyrus beamed at him. “Hey, I’ll always be the space otters’ number one fan.”

Jonah laughed at that. “And we’ll always be yours. You’re the best, Cy-guy!”

TJ’s sour glances towards Jonah went unnoticed by everyone except Marty, who wasn’t entirely paying attention to Buffy’s conversation with Andi. He raised an eyebrow at the boy, who had jealousy clearly written all over his face. TJ just huffed and shook his head. It was far too tempting for Marty to just drag him away and get some sense into him - if he genuinely saw  _Jonah_ as a threat, then he had to be blind.

When Jonah began (somewhat awkwardly) talking to Andi and Buffy, Cyrus immediately returned to his conversation with TJ, having not noticed his friend’s silent hissy fit in the slightest.

 

~

 

“Okay. What about this shirt?”

Buffy groaned, while Marty just shook his head.

“Too formal. Why are you so worried anyway, Cyrus? This isn’t a date, you guys are just watching a movie.”

“But TJ obviously likes him,” Buffy argued.

“Well yeah, but that doesn’t make it a date.”

The three of them were at Cyrus’ house after he had sent Buffy a frantic text to come and help him. Andi wasn’t available, so she dragged Marty along with her instead.

Cyrus shook his head.

“I still have to look good though! And TJ doesn’t like me, I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”

This time, it was Marty’s turn to groan.

“He didn’t invite any of  _us_ to watch a horror movie, did he?”

“Because he doesn’t know you guys as well!”

“Fine, but why do you think he chose a horror movie? He totally wants to play protective boyfriend.” 

Cyrus just scoffed, blushing slightly as he continued to rummage through his drawers. Buffy stepped forward and grimaced at the jumbled mess of shirts.

“Why don’t you just text him and ask what to wear? Maybe he’ll be wearing pyjamas when you show up.”

Marty raised an eyebrow. “Wait. Is this a sleepover? Everyone knows it’s socially acceptable to wear pyjamas to a sleepover.”

“Yeah, but TJ might not know that! He could be wearing a suit for all I know,” Cyrus said. 

“You think he’s gonna  _sleep_ in a suit?”

“Well, he’d probably have to change.” 

Buffy exchanged an exasperated look with Marty before taking Cyrus’ phone from his bed.

“I’m messaging him.”

“ _What_ ,” Cyrus spluttered. “But he’ll know it’s you! 

A smirk began to tug at Marty’s lips. “Yeah Buffy, let me do it.”

Cyrus shook his head. “Absolutely not! I don’t trust either of you to sound like me.”

“Hey! I know how to sound like you,” Marty insisted. Buffy rolled her eyes. 

“ _I’m_ the bestfriend here, if anyone can sound like Cyrus it’s me.”

“Exactly, you know him too well! I have the advantage of an outside perspective.”

“Alright fine. Go ahead and try then, Marty.” 

Cyrus groaned and continued rummaging.

“I’m trusting you guys,” he warned.

“I won’t let you down, Cyrus.”

Buffy flopped down on the bed, while Marty began typing.

“Wait. you have cute nicknames for eachother?   _And_ you use about a million heart emojis in each text?”

Cyrus’s face turned a light shade of red.

“Er...Maybe? But it’s completely friendly.”

Marty rolled his eyes and hit send. “Okay. So I said ‘Hey, Teej. Just wondering what I should wear tonight- are pyjamas cool?’”

Buffy burst into laughter, while Cyrus just groaned again.

“Teej?” she asked.

“Hey! Cyrus called him that in another text.”

“You asked him if  _pyjamas_ were cool?” 

“Hey, there’s nothing more romantic than wearing pyjamas! It means you’re comfortable with one another,” he argued.

Buffy opened her mouth to speak again, but quickly closed it when Cyrus’ phone buzzed. She stood up and looked over Marty’s shoulder.

“Okay. He said ‘Hey underdog! Pyjamas are totally fine. I’ll see ya tonight.’ Then, he added a smiley face emoji and heart emoji.” 

Marty smirked at the other two.

“Did you hear that? Pyjamas are ‘totally’ fine, which is basically code for ‘Yes! Pyjamas are great! Wear pyjamas!’”

Buffy laughed at that, while Cyrus sighed in defeat.

“Okay, I guess I could wear pyjamas. But which ones? I have these ones, which-“

Marty and Buffy both groaned.

 

~

 

As Cyrus walked out of the door, Buffy turned to Marty with a smirk.

“TJ is gonna die on the spot when he sees him. Cyrus in pyjamas is like cuteness overload.”

“I think TJ dies on the spot everytime he sees Cyrus, but you’re right. This time he’ll have a heart attack or something.”

The two looked at eachother for a moment. 

“Soo...wanna come over and watch a horror movie?” Marty asked. 

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him, so he added: “First person to get scared by a jumpscare loses?”

“Oh, you’re on.” 

Marty smiled and opened the door.

“After you then.”

 

~

 

Cyrus was quickly beginning to realise that  _walking_ to TJ’s place in his pyjamas had been a downright awful idea. He had ended up choosing his light-blue pyjamas, which were covered in clouds and  _unbelievably_ soft. Despite the long-sleeves though, the biting cold wind was cutting right through him and making him shiver a ridiculous amount.

He rolled his eyes when he realised he had forgot to bring a jumper to wear the next day; nothing in his bag could even save him. 

Finally, he reached TJ’s front door and knocked (he couldn’t even feel the door because his hands were so numb.) It swung open moments later and TJ stood there with fluffy gel-free hair, looking ridiculously cute in sweatpants, a plain white shirt and and a blue jacket.

His wide smile immediately faltered when noticed Cyrus’ shivering state, and he quickly ushered him inside.

“Did you walk to my place wearing  _that_? Oh my god, you’re crazy. Wait here.”

All Cyrus could manage was an embarrassed smile as TJ rushed down the hallway and out of sight. Not even a minute later, he was rushing  back with a jumper in his arms. Despite feeling frozen, Cyrus still felt himself blushing as TJ carefully took his bag and set it aside, turning to him with a fond smile.

“This is the warmest jumper I have, and I’ll turn up the heating.”

He carefully slipped the black jumper over Cyrus’ head and gave him a few moments to get his arms through. The jumper was at least a few sizes too big, and the sleeves were longer than his arms, but it was warm and soft and  _oh god_ - it smelt like a strangely wonderful combination of fabric softener and TJ’s cologne.

 For a moment, TJ just looked at him, that same warm smile on his lips. 

“Well, it’s a bit oversized on you, but you look cute.”

 _Wait - cute? Did TJ just call him cute?_  

“Thanks. You do too. I mean - uh, your jacket also looks cute. I like the blue.”

TJ laughed then, and  _dammit_  that sound was far too amazing.

“Thanks, underdog. I’ll take you to my room so you can drop off your stuff.”

With a slightly mortified smile, Cyrus followed him.

After dropping Cyrus’ things off, they headed to the living room. 

“Whoa.”

“Yeah, I kind of took all the pillows and blankets from the rest of the house. At least you won’t be cold, right?”

“It’s amazing, I’ve never seen something so comfy looking in my life! Your couch is huge.”

TJ smiled slightly and looked down the ground for a moment, running a nervous hand through his hair. 

“I’ll go make popcorn. Wait- you like popcorn right? It’s kind of the only thing I bought and I didn’t ask you and-“

“Popcorn’s the best!”

TJ let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. I’ll be right back.”

Cyrus took the opportunity to collapse down on the couch and frantically message his friends to update them. 

 

 **Cyrus:** GUYS

 **Cyrus:** GUYSS

 **Andi:** WHAT

 **Cyrus:** Wait did Buffy tell you I’m watching a movie with TJ tonight?

 **Andi:** What? No! Did you finally ask him out?

 **Cyrus:** No! We’re just at his house

 **Cyrus** : It’s a friendly thing

 **Cyrus:** Bc he doesn’t like me

 **Andi:** Okay ;-), how’s it goin?

 **Cyrus:** HE CALLED ME CUTE AND GAVE ME HIS JUMPER

 **Buffy:** EXCUSE ME

 **Andi** : OH MY GOD! What were you saying about him not liking you again? 

 **Buffy:** CYRUS THIS IS MARTY PLEASE PUT ME OUT OF MY MISERY AND ASK TJ OUT 

 **Andi:** Wait, are you with Buffy right now?

 **Buffy:** Yeah I am, but that’s beside the point. Listen - he called you CUTE Cyrus, do I ever call you cute?

 **Cyrus:** Well, you did once

 **Buffy:** Okay but that was a friendly thing

 **Buffy:** TJ OBVIOUSLY means it in a ‘You’re the cutest human alive please date me’ way.

 **Andi:** Plus - he gave you his jumper! 

 **Buffy:** Exactly!

 **Cyrus** : Oh, would you look at that! TJ’s back. I gtg guys, bye!

 **Andi** : Have fun ;-) message with more updates!

 **Buffy:** CYRUS ASK HIM OUT

 

Cyrus shook his head and turned his phone off with a laugh. TJ walked back into the living room, carrying a big bowl of popcorn and two steaming mugs. 

“Oh! Do you need help?”

“Nah, I’m good, I’ll just-“

He carefully set the two mugs down on the coffee table and collapsed down next to Cyrus, the bowl of popcorn on his lap.

“Wait - did you make hot chocolate?”

“Uh, yeah...do you not like it?”

“No, I  _love_ it! Oh my god, you’re the best.”

A relieved grin tugged at TJ’s lips. “Okay, good.”

Cyrus quickly turned his phone to silent and pocketed it. TJ placed the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

“Soo, are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

TJ laughed and grabbed the remote. “Don’t worry, this one’s not too bad.”

“What’s it called?”

“Hush.”

“Did you just tell me to - oh wait, that’s what it’s called, isn’t it?”

TJ laughed again and nodded. Cyrus desperately hoped that the low lighting would hide the blush on his face.

“That title sounds very ominous.”

“I think that’s probably the point.”

TJ shot him a smile as he scrolled through the netflix menu, eventually stopping at the movie and clicking it. He reached over and turned off the lamp beside the couch before shifting slightly and grabbing a few blankets. Cyrus smiled and snuggled back into the pillows as he threw the blankets over them.

“Aaand...play.”

TJ hit a button on the remote and the movie began playing. The other boy inhaled sharply.

“We don’t have to if you really don’t want to, by the way. I have other movies,” TJ said.

Cyrus briefly thought about all the cuddling he could get away with and shook his head.

“Nah, I want to,” he assured.

The other boy nodded and shifted closer to him as the opening scene played.

_Yup. He wasn’t going to survive this._

The first real jumpscare was about 10 minutes in, and it had Cyrus jolting violently and almost spilling his hot chocolate everywhere. TJ carefully took the mug from his hands and set it down on the table.

“It’s just her friend,” he soothed, wrapping an arm around the other boy. 

Now, Cyrus’ heart was going fast for an entirely  _different_ reason. 

“Please don’t tell me something happens to her friend.”

The guilty look on TJ’s face was telling enough.

“Why!” Cyrus groaned.

“Because it’s a horror movie!”

When Cyrus groaned again, TJ just laughed and shifted closer. 

Throughout the movie, they gradually became closer until their shoulders were practically pressed together. Cyrus was having a hard time fully concentrating on the movie when TJ was so close that he could smell his cologne.  _Or- maybe that was from his jumper. That he gave to Cyrus. Because he had been cold._ He could feel himself getting giddy at the thought. 

During a particularly tense scene where the main character was hiding from the killer, Cyrus turned to TJ and buried his face in his chest, mumbling to tell him when it was over. 

He could feel butterflies fluttering around in his stomach when TJ chuckled and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. Then, he gently rested his chin on Cyrus’ head and - yup, he was officially dead. 

_He was practically cuddling with TJ Kippen._

A minute or so later, TJ leant down to whisper that the main character was safe inside again, and Cyrus let out a small sigh of relief before (reluctantly) lifting his head. He glanced up at the other boy, who’s face looked surprisingly red in the harsh light from the TV.  _Was he...no way. He’s just seeing things._

TJ still had an arm wrapped around him, so Cyrus stayed at the same proximity and rested his head on the other boy’s shoulder instead. He heard a sharp intake of breath, so he hesitantly lifted his head again.

“It’s okay, you can lean on me,” TJ said, his voice cracking slightly. Cyrus smiled and lowered his head again.

Although the movie was kind of terrifying, being this close to TJ definitely made it worth it somehow. If he could spend the next week wrapped up like this, he would.

The sound of police sirens came from the TV as the final scene ended. TJ looked down at Cyrus with a smile.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“I guess not. I’m just glad the cat survived.”

TJ laughed. “I’d never show you a movie where the cat dies. That’s just traumatic.” 

Cyrus’ traitorous heart fluttered at that.

“And that’s why we’re friends! For the record, I’d never show you a movie where the cat dies either...unless I didn’t know of course.”

He looked up, only to find the other boy looking at him intently. His heart began to race when he noticed just how ridiculously close they were at that moment. All he would have to do is lean forward slightly and-  _no. There’s no way._

The only sounds he could hear were their slightly ragged breathing and the soft music coming from the TV as the ending credits played. In a slight daze, he continued to look up at TJ, waiting for him to move away or do  _something_.

_His eyes were the most unfairly pretty combination of green and blue. Were those yellow flecks too? Surely someone’s eyes couldn’t be that perfect - wait - how long had he been staring again? Probably too long. Why wasn’t TJ saying anything?_

Then, TJ’s eyes were sliding down to Cyrus’ lips and he was leaning in slightly and  _oh - that’s why._ Cyrus’ eyes were just beginning to flutter shut when panic appeared on the other boy’s face.

He watched in confusion as TJ shifted away and cleared his throat.

“I’ll uh...I’ll get the mattress ready.”

With that, he got to his feet and rushed out of the living room. Cyrus was frozen for a moments, but he quickly came to his senses and pulled out his phone.

 

 **Cyrus** : Guys...

 **Andi** : What’s up?

 **Cyrus** : I think TJ and I almost kissed...but he pulled back last second and ran away

 **Cyrus** : He looked kinda...panicked?

 **Buffy** : (this is actually me now) WHAT! Istg, do I have to talk some sense into him? At least you know he wants to kiss you though

 **Cyrus** : Hmm I don’t think that’s necessary

 **Cyrus** : Why did he pull away then?

 **Andi** : I bet he was just nervous, he’ll probably come back and kiss you for real

 **Buffy** : Yeah, just give him a moment or two. I don’t think he’s good with the whole ‘emotions’ thing

 **Cyrus** : Kissing is an emotion now?

 **Buffy** : Ugh, you know what I mean

 **Andi** : Update us if he comes back!

 

Despite what Andi and Buffy had said, the rest of the night went by as if the nearly-kiss hadn’t happened. TJ taught him how to play a few video games using a controller, and they stayed up joking around and laughing. Like  _friends_ , painfully enough. 

Cyrus slept on TJ’s bed after a lot of insistence from the other boy (“You’re the guest! You’re entitled to the comfier option”) while TJ slept on an air mattress. 

In the morning, he just decided it was best not to mention it to TJ at all.

 

~

 

On Monday, Cyrus filled his friends in on exactly what had happened (Buffy made sure he didn’t leave out a single detail.)

Marty rolled his eyes several times during Cyrus’ recount.

“Wow. TJ’s an idiot.” 

“Hey! No he’s not.”

Buffy sighed. “He is a little bit. I have no idea what he was thinking - was he scared you wouldn’t kiss back?” 

“Maybe he was scared of ruining your friendship?” Andi offered.

“Yeah. Maybe.” 

“Are you still going to TJ’s game today?”

“Of course I am! We’re still friends.”

Andi placed a hand on his knee and gave him a sympathetic smile. “I’ll come too.”

“Yeah, same with us. We’ll be your moral support.” Marty said.

Cyrus couldn’t help but laugh.

“I don’t need moral support to cheer my friend on.”

“Maybe not. But you might need moral support to be around the friend you almost kissed two nights ago.”

“Touché.” he sighed.

 

~

 

Despite barely being able to think about anything but their almost-kiss, Cyrus struggled through his classes, got the notes he needed and found time to make a sign for the game. 

He walked through the doors around 10 minutes before it was supposed to begin. TJ and his teammates seemed to be warming up, but the moment he walked in they abruptly stopped moving. He watched, eyebrows furrowed, as one of the teammates elbowed TJ and pushed him in Cyrus’ direction. That earnt him an icy glare, but TJ reluctantly began to walk towards the other boy anyway.

Cyrus couldn’t seem to move even if he wanted to; he just watched, almost completely frozen, as TJ approached. 

“Hey.” 

“Hey. What’s up?” Cyrus asked, his voice cracking slightly.

“I just wanted to, um, apologise for what happened I guess?”

Cyrus looked down at the ground. When he responded, his voice was much higher than he would’ve liked.

“Oh no, it’s fine. We can pretend nothing happened, I don’t really know what I was thinking I kinda just - um, yeah. We’re still cool right though? We can be friends?”

TJ sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s...that’s the thing though. I don’t wanna pretend it didn’t happen.”

“...Oh? Uh - why?”

“Because I don’t wanna be just friends with you, Cyrus.”

“So...we’re not cool? I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable-“

“No! That’s not what I...I like you, okay?! Like - more than a friend. Like in a, I wanna be be your boyfriend kind of way.”

Cyrus stood there, gobsmacked for a few moments. TJ was looking nervously down at the ground, his cheeks burning.

“TJ, I-“

“Kippen! Over here now!” the coach barked.

“I’m sorry, Cyrus.”

As TJ turned around to walk back to his team, Cyrus couldn’t help but think that having to go wasn’t the only thing TJ was sorry for. The thought made his heart ache. 

He could hear people announcing the beginning of the game, but all he could think about was TJ. Completely frazzled and bewildered, he weaved through the crowds and found a spot on the stands next to Marty. Buffy was sitting next to him, and they were both looking at him expectantly.

“Well?”

“Uh - where’s Andi?”

Buffy sighed and gestured towards the corner of the auditorium. Sure enough, Andi was there, talking to an upset-looking Jonah. Marty raised an eyebrow at him.

“So. What did TJ say to you?”

“He, uh...He kind of... toldmethathelikesmeasmorethanjustafriend.”

“WHAT!” Buffy yelled.

This garnered a few startled looks from the people around her and momentarily caused a few of the players to look up from the game. Marty folded his arms in a smug fashion.

“Why am I always right?”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “So what did you say to him?”

“Um, I didn’t say anything.”

“Excuse me?”

“The coach yelled for him before I could say anything.”

Marty buried his head in his hands with an exasperated groan.

“It’s always dramatic with you two, isn’t it?”

“Wait. So he’s playing right now, not knowing if you like him back?” Buffy asked. When Cyrus grimaced, she sighed heavily.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Cyrus - you’re the  _only_ one that can distract TJ from basketball. Whenever he thinks you’re mad at him during practise, he can barely concentrate.”

As if to prove her point, TJ went for a goal and narrowly missed, causing a collective groan amongst the Jefferson High students. 

_Oh dammit - TJ never misses._

Cyrus desperately tried to catch his eye. He succeeded after a few minutes, and tried to give him the warmest, most reassuring smile he possibly could. He also flashed a thumbs-up for good measure. This seemed to put TJ at ease somewhat, because for the first time since the game had started, he smiled. Marty clapped a hand on Cyrus’ back.

“Well, Cyrus may be the only who can distract him, but he’s also the only one that can get him going again.”

Sure enough, when TJ went for another goal, the ball went in. Buffy was beaming at him.

“And thank  _god_ for that that.”

Throughout the game, Cyrus gave TJ reassuring smiles when he could and tried his best to ignore the knowing looks both Buffy and Marty were throwing him. Andi rejoined them about half-way through and sat next to Cyrus, wrapping an arm around him. He smiled sympathetically and leaned into her. 

“Jonah drama?”

“You know it.” she sighed. “Boys are the worst.”

Cyrus laughed at that. “They really are.”

“Well - except you.”

“Why thank you! Do you wanna talk at the spoon later?”

“Please,” she groaned. “This whole thing has been a nightmare.”

He nodded and reached for her hand, squeezing it supportively.

TJ’s team ended up winning the game by two goals.

Cyrus rushed down as soon as he could, trying his best to (politely) push past the swarms of people and get onto the court. His teammates were jumping around excitedly and hugging him, while TJ was grinning and wiping his face with a towel. Just like before, they stopped as soon as they saw Cyrus.

TJ’s smile faltered slightly when he saw him. He separated himself from his teammates and took a hesitant step forward, which Cyrus mirrored. Soon enough, the younger boy was running up to him and throwing his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. The other boy immediately dropped his towel.

“I like you too.”

The words were quiet, but TJ seemed to hear them if the grin on his face was anything to go by. He hesitantly placed his hands on Cyrus’ waist.

“Can I kiss you for real?” he breathed.

“Yeah.”

Then, TJ was leaning in and Cyrus could feel the other boy’s warm breath ghosting over his lips. There was a collective gasp from all of the teammates when their lips finally met. Cyrus was almost certain he could hear both Andi and Buffy screaming while Marty laughed.

TJ’s lips were warm and slightly chapped, and he tasted like mint and strawberries and  _wow yeah- Cyrus was so gone._ The kiss was chaste, but it still had him feeling slightly light-headed as he pulled away. 

“Did you eat strawberries before this?” he blurted.

TJ laughed and pulling the other boy closer to him.

“You’re cute. Yeah - I did.”

An embarrassed flush appeared on Cyrus’ face as he nodded, but he still couldn’t help a wide smile. TJ’s teammates began crowding him and clapping him on the back. The shorter boy couldn’t hear much over the crowd, but he could hear faint ‘Nice one’s and ‘Finally’s.

Even the coach was shaking his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips. 

“Thank god!”

They both turned around to see Andi, Buffy and Marty standing infront of them. Marty was grinning.

“I would’ve died of frustration if you guys kept going on like that without getting together.”

“Seconded. Although, we still have to interrogate you,” Andi warned.

Buffy gave TJ a stern look. “If you ever hurt him, you’re dead Kippen.”

He raised his arms in surrender and nodded.

“Okay, Driscoll.”

She immediately smiled at that.

“I’m not sure if Jonah is going to believe this actually happened. As far as he’s concerned, you two are just casual friends.”

Marty smirked and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Well, lucky for you guys, I caught it all on camera. I don’t think you’ll ever be hearing the end of this.” 

Cyrus and TJ both groaned.


End file.
